Air-current-producing means



H. F. MGRSE.

Am CURRENT PRouuclNG MEANS.

\ APPLICATION FILED SEPT-28, 1917.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD F. MORSE, 0F PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOBl TQ GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AIRLCURRENT-PRODUCING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mal'. 23, 1920.

Application filed September 28, 1917. Serial No. 193,825.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD F. Morse, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, county of Berkshire, in the State of ll/lassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Current- Froducing Means, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to air current producing means in which rotary fans are arranged to continually change the d1- rections of the air currents produced.

More specifically my invention relates to an improved arrangement for mounting a plurality of constantly driven fans'to turn or gyrate about a central support.

@ne of the objects of this invention is to produce an arrangement of fans, preferably a pair of fans, with as few parts as is compatible with utility and durability so as to turn or revolve about the support at a uniform speed.

Another object is to provide means for readily adjusting the speed of revolution about the supporting' memloer. il. further object of this invention is to provide a positive drive for turning the fans about the support independent of friction and air thrust on the fans.

A still further object is to provide a driving means that will compensate for any wear and tear or unevenness of the driving means.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accomf panying drawing in which Figure l is a side elevation of a pair of fans mounted inaccordance with my invention, while Fig. Q is a vertical section taken in the plane of 4 the paper through the device shown in Fig.

lid

l, parts being brolzen away.,

ln the drawings, F and Fl denote electric motors having fans f and ff `respectively and mounted on the frame C arranged to revolve about the pendent support ll.

The fan motors may be rigidly secured to the frame C or they may be pivotally secured thereto which latter arrangement enables the, direction of reaction of the air current to be adjusted as desired.

ln order to provide a positive drive for 'turning the fan motors F and F and their supporting frame C about support D, the

fan motor F is arranged to drive a friction disk, such as shown at 5 bearing against a coperating friction member or washer 6 which is non-rotatably secured to the support D in a manner hereinafter more fully described.

The motor shaft 7 to which the fan is secured is geared down to the slow speed shaft 8 of the dislr 5 by means of worms 9 and worm gears l()- The motor frame F has at its rear end a cylindrical sleeve eX- tension entering the bore of an arm of the supporting frame C and adjustably secured thereto as by a set screw as shown in Fig. 2. Such an arrangement permits the motor to be turned in a plane at right angles to the shaft 8 without interfering with the operation thereof.

The shaft 8 is provided with suitable antifriction thrust bearing as shown at 11 and is flexibly connected to the dish 5 as shown Hoy having its inner end enter' the split hub l2 of the disk 5 and a pin 13 in the shaft coperating with the slot 14 in the hub. The disk 5 has one or more idlers l5 coperating with the upper edge and is arranged to be held in resilient engagement with the friction washer 6 by means of the spring 16 encircling the hu'b and reacting through the thrust bearing l1 against a portion of the frame C. f

rIhe frame C is supported to turn about the central support D on a single antifriction bearing as shown at 20. The support D carries suitable contact. rings Ql and 212, insulated therefrom A.for the electrical con nections between the motors F and F" and the feed wires.

The friction washer 6 is made of leather, fiber or other suitable material having a high coefficient of frictionV and is non-rotatablv but adiustablv secured to the support D.' The washer is clamped or otherwise rig idly secured to the danged end Q3 of the inner sleeve 24 which is in screw threaded cngagement with the outer sleeve 25. The inner sleeve 24: has the screw spline 26 coperating with the longitudinal slot 2'? in the support D while the outer sleeve 25 has the screw spline 28 engaging with an annular groove cut in the collar 29 which is rigidly secured to the lower end of the support D. The outer sleeve 25 can thus be freely rotated to transmit axial movement along support D to the inner sleeve 24: and thus adjust the friction washer 6 radially across the carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that this is merely illustrative and that I do not mean to be limited to the 'precise details herein disclosed nor in the choice of mechanical equivalents except as defined in my claims hereunto annexed.V

What I claim as new and desire to secure i by Letters Patent of the United 'States is:

1. The combination with a support, of a frame rotatably mounted thereon, an electric fan ,carried by sald frame, a drivin shaft 1n said frame geared to the fan sha a disk yieldingly mounted thereon, a sleeve arranged to be movable axially on said support, a friction washer secured to said sleeve l so as to be in engagement with said disk,

and means for adjusting said sleeve to a desired osition with respect to said disk.

2. he combination with a support, of a frame rotatably mounted thereon, an electric fan carried by said frame, a driving shaft in said frame geared to the fan shaft, a disk yieldingly mounted thereon, an inner sleeve arranged -to be movable axially of said supporta friction washer secured thereto and adapted to engage with said disk, and an outer sleeve in screw threaded engagement with said inner sleeve and arranged to adjust said sleeve relative to the face of said disk.-

3. The combination of a support, of a frame rotatably mounted thereon, an electric motor fan carried by said frame, a driving shaft in said frame geared to said motor fan, a friction disk mounted on said shaft, an outer sleeve mounted on a step bearing carried by said support, an inner sleeve feathered to said support and having thread ed engagement with said outer sleeve, and a friction washer attached to said inner sleeve and adapted to engage said friction disk.

4. The combination of a support, a frame mounted thereon and having a tubular arm, an electric motor having a swiveled connection with said tubular arm, a drive shaft journaled coaxially of said tubular arm and geared to said motor fan, and frictional drive connection between said drive shaft and said support.

5. The combination with a support, of an electric motor driven fan, a' frame for carrying said fan, a single bearing for rotatively mountmg said frame on sald support, a friction member adjustably but non-rotatably secured to said support within said frame, a disk resiliently engaging therewith, and driving connections for said disk in said frame geared to said motor.

6. The combination with a support, of an electric motor driven fan, a frame for carr ing said fan, a single bearing for rotative y mounting said frame on said support, a sleeve in said frame having axial movement along said sup ort, a friction washer secured to said s eeve, a disk resiliently engaging with said washer, driving connections for said disk in said frame geared to said motor, and means for adjusting said sleeve to a desired position with respect to said disk.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of September, 1917.

' HAROLD F. MORSE. 

